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Posts Tagged ‘wildlife conservation’

China’s Wandering Elephant Herd

Wednesday, June 30th, 2021
Aerial photo taken on June 7, 2021 shows wild Asian elephants in Jinning District of Kunming, southwest China's Yunnan Province. A herd of wild Asian elephants have made a temporary stop along their migration in the outskirts of the southwestern Chinese city of Kunming, authorities said Monday. Of the 15 elephants, one male has broken free from the herd and is currently about 4 km to the northeast of the group, according to the on-site command tracking the elephants. Asian elephants are under A-level state protection in China, where they are mostly found in Yunnan. Thanks to enhanced protection efforts, the wild elephant population in the province has grown to about 300, up from 193 in the 1980s. Credit: © Xinhua/Alamy Images

Aerial photo taken on June 7, 2021 shows wild Asian elephants napping in Jinning District of Kunming, southwest China’s Yunnan Province.
Credit: © Xinhua/Alamy Images

A wild elephant herd has captured global attention and baffled, well, everyone. Fifteen elephants, including three calves, have been on a mysterious trek across their native China. Traveling for over a year, the migration has taken them more than 300 miles (500 kilometers) from home. Their natural habitat is thought to be the Mengyangzi Nature Reserve in Xishuangbanna, Yunnan. Reserves are areas of land set aside to protect the habitats of elephants and other wild animals. China only has about 300 wild elephants. Most live in the south of the Yunnan province.

The traveling herd gained fame in China despite trampling crops, damaging property, and occasionally poking a trunk through someone’s window. The elephant’s padded feet enable them to walk and run with surprisingly little noise. Elephants normally walk at a speed of 3 to 6 miles (5 to 10 kilometers) an hour. When making a long journey, a family walks at about 10 miles (16 kilometers) an hour.

The elephants might have been looking for a new habitat, though they wouldn’t find one among millions in the city Kunming. Paths were cleared and food was provided as towns moved to protect the elephants.

Safety is a high priority for the endangered Asian elephant. Local government launched drones and mobilized hundreds of people to protect the herd’s migration. People attempted to steer the elephants in the southwest direction, back toward the reserve. However, the herd may have decided to head home all on their own.

Elephants are extremely strong and highly intelligent. There are two kinds of elephants, African elephants and Asian elephants, also known as Indian elephants. Asian elephants live only in southern and southeastern Asia. They are found in forests and jungles of Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Today, wildlife experts agree that elephants are in great danger and need human protection to survive. The number of wild elephants has greatly declined because people kill elephants for their ivory tusks. Farming and industry threaten the natural resources needed by elephants to survive. In Asia, human population growth and habitat destruction have severely reduced the number of wild elephants. Scientists estimate that only about 40,000 Asian elephants survive in the wild.

An adult Asian bull stands from 9 to 101/2 feet (2.7 to 3.2 meters) tall at the shoulder and weighs up to 8,000 pounds (3,600 kilograms). Asian cows stand about 8 feet (2.4 meters) tall and weigh about 6,600 pounds (3,000 kilograms).

Most Asian elephants have light gray skin and may have pink or white spots. Most Asian bulls have tusks that grow from 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) long. However, some Asian males, called makhnas, have no tusks, and many Asian females have none. Other Asian females have extremely short tusks called tushes.

Tags: china, elephants, endangered species, migration, nature reserve, wild animals, wildlife conservation
Posted in Animals, Current Events | Comments Off

Wanted! New Police List Targets Environmental Criminals

Monday, December 1st, 2014

December 1, 2014

Interpol, an international organization of police authorities, has launched its first operation asking for public assistance in locating and bringing to justice fugitives wanted specifically for crimes against the environment. The new Operation Infra (International Fugitive Round Up and Arrest) Terra includes a “Most Wanted” list of 9 of the 139 fugitives being sought for such crimes as wildlife trafficking, illegal logging, and trading in illegal ivory.

Environmental crime, according to Interpol, involves both wildlife crime–the illegal exploitation of the world’s wild flora and fauna–and pollution crime, the illegal trading and disposal of hazardous wastes or resources. Estimates of the annual value of environmental crime range from $70 billion to $213 billion. The illegal wildlife trade alone is worth some $19 billion a year, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare. In recent years, terrorist organizations have turned to poaching and other forms of wildlife crime to fund their activities.

Poaching poses a major problem in a number of national parks that provide homes for threatened wildlife. This photograph shows elephant tusks that were seized from ivory poachers in Africa. (© Masterfile)

Among those on Interpol’s first environmental “Most Wanted” list are Italian Adriano Giacobone, wanted for, among other crimes, the illegal transport and discharge of toxic waste; Zambian Ben Simasiku, wanted for the unlawful possession of elephant tusks; and Indonesian Sudiman Sunoto, wanted for illegal logging. “We believe that the capture of these criminals on the run will contribute to the dismantlement of transnational crime groups who have turned environmental exploitation into a professional business with lucrative revenues,” said Interpol official Stefano Carvelli.

Additional World Book articles:

  • Animal (The future of animals)
  • Deforestation
  • Elephant (Protecting elephants)
  • Endangered species
  • Rain forest (The future of rain forests)
  • Wildlife conservation

Tags: environmental crime, illegal logging, poaching, pollution, pollution crime, wildlife conservation, wildlife crime, wildlife trafficking
Posted in Current Events | Comments Off

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